Gain to gain network for aircraft galley system

ABSTRACT

An aircraft galley system is configured with a GAIN to GAIN network that allows for data exchange and communication between each GAIN on the system. By omitting reliance on a galley network controller for acquisition of GAIN data, the present system is simpler, lighter, and more cost-effective. Each GAIN may be polled for data by any other GAIN, such as via a data port, dedicated bus, or wireless connection. The data acquisition between the GAIN and a data collection and display device may be wired in network, wired out of network, or through a wireless link such as a Wi-Fi network.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to provisionalapplication 61/318,103, filed on Mar. 26, 2010, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to the field of aircraft datatransfer, and more particularly relates to an adaptive data transfernetwork for managing and sharing information, and this sharing caneliminate the need for a galley network controller.

Present day commercial aircraft are traditionally configured with a foodand beverage preparation area, commonly referred to as a galley. Thegalley can contain refrigeration units, heaters, and appliances for thepreparation of food and beverages, such as ovens, beverage brewingmachines, etc. In addition to the devices described above, galleyequipment includes such devices as beverage dispensers, ovens, brewers,trash compactors, beverage carts, and the like. All of the galley'spower consuming equipment can run off a single power source thatservices the network of devices.

In a typical galley power distribution system, GAlley INserts, or“GAINs,” are power clients that request power in specific time intervalsfrom a galley network controller. In the configuration of FIG. 1, theinformation pertaining to each GAIN has to be transmitted first to theGNC. As a result, a GNC is a necessary element of the system thatcontributes weight and complexity to the power system as well as costs.In addition, the system of FIG. 1 does not allow for information to beaccessed directly from the individual GAINs, but rather all informationmust be obtained via the GNC. For example, an aircraft mechanic cannotobtain information contained in a particular GAIN installed in thegalley by directly interrogating either the GAIN in question or one ofthe other GAINs. Rather, the aircraft mechanic must interface with theGNC to investigate what is happening with the individual GAINs. Thesystem's inflexibility increases the amount of time that an aircraftmechanic or other personnel requires to obtain information from theindividual GAINs in addition to making the system heavier and moreexpensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the present invention seeks to provide greaterflexibility and cost savings in a system for a galley, where newequipment behavior may be introduced as part of an adaptive system. Thatis, each networked device can poll operational and functionalcharacteristics of the other devices connected in the network, therebyeliminating the need for a galley network controller in the system. Whenadditional devices are added or replaced in the system, there is no needto reconfigure a galley network controller since each device canautomatically recognize and interrogate the new devices, making thesystem much more flexible and adaptive.

The network connectivity and interrogation of various galley GAINs(e.g., coffee makers, water heaters, espresso makers, ovens, chillers,refrigerators, trash compactors and other equipment and appliance usedin an aircraft galley environment) make it possible for any networkdevice to transfer useful information (digital data) to any othernetwork device without routing through a central galley networkcontroller. A network display device for displaying the requested deviceinformation may be a wired GAIN already in the system, a wired non-GAINdevice that may perform specialized data collection and display, anon-GAIN device that may plug into the system but is not a permanentcomponent of the system, or a wireless device that can connect andreceive data wirelessly from a GAIN in the network.

An example of device data that may be collected and stored in aparticular GAIN may be the maintenance and fault data for any device inthe network. This information can be conveniently retrieved in thesystem of the present invention by connecting directly to a GAIN in thesystem, which can poll and store the information for all connectedGAINs, and then display the information via a display device such as alaptop computer or a hand-held PDA or smartphone. Access to the galleydigital network may be achieved from an access port on a GAIN (such as,for example, an included USB port), an access port on the digitalnetwork that connects the GAINs, or a wireless access point. Wirelessaccess points are not limited to non-passive WiFi capability. In otherwords, data transfer can occur across passive infrared signals.

The invention uses networked self-aware and system-aware adaptiveaircraft galley equipment that can access specialized data from allconnected GAINs and transfer the information to any type of digitalnetwork access point. It should be noted that this invention could beused even if a GNC is present in the system. For example, a user (flightattendant, aircraft mechanic, etc.) could still access the informationby connecting (physically or wirelessly) to one of the GAINs present inthe system, without going through the GNC directly.

The introduction of a small galley network makes it possible forGAIN-to-GAIN information sharing that implements power controlarbitration (consistent with ARINC 812 Decentralized Power Control).Other advantages include that a single network display device could beused to locally control and poll all galley equipment for selectedinformation. That is, since the GAINs provide detailed statusinformation and allow for remote control operation, a single,centralized point of control streamlines in-galley operations by havinga time-dependent central point of catering control.

One advantage of this invention is that it provides for multiple optionsfor data collection, status, control and analysis of GAIN-centricspecialized data. For example, a wireless (or wired) hand-held devicecan readily offload data (catering-specific data, maintenance data,FDA-compliant data, etc) from the entire galley network (all GAINs) withthe touch of a button, such as for example a smart phone application. Inaddition, data integrity of the network may be secured via variousnetwork authentication methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: A prior art galley network system architecture;

FIG. 2: A GAIN network with in-network wired data collector;

FIG. 3: A GAIN network with off-network wired data collector;

FIG. 4: A GAIN network with off-network wireless data collector; and

FIG. 5: A block diagram of a GAIN device used in the present invention.

The present invention is an adaptive, GAIN-to-GAIN data distributionnetwork for collecting galley equipment data from a component of thenetwork without the need for a dedicated galley network controller. FIG.2 illustrates a first type of system 10 encompassing the presentinvention, where a series of galley devices 20 are designated GAIN 1,GAIN 2, GAIN 3, . . . , GAIN n. The GAINs of the system are self-awareand system-aware equipment, in that the devices can not only recognize,store, poll, and communicate its own diagnostic and operational data,but also can recognize, store, poll, and communicate and receive datafrom other devices on the network.

The GAINs 20 may be kitchen equipment, such as coffee makers, trashcompactors, auxiliary galley lighting, or they may be ovens,refrigerators, drink carts, or the like. The system includes a digitaldata bus 30 that connects each GAIN 20 to each other in parallel, andpermits each GAIN 20 to communicate with each other GAIN in the system.The digital bus provides a conduit by which data can be exchangedthroughout the system, and links each of the devices in the system toevery other device. It should be noted that other types of connectionsare possible between the GAINs of the system, including logicalconnections and wireless connections (see, e.g., FIG. 4).

Also connected to the bus 30 is a display device 40 that collects dataabout the system and displays it on command. That is, the display device40 can, for example, poll GAIN 1 and request or access certaininformation about GAIN 1, such as current power consumption, hours ofoperation, temperature, life cycles, status, or other diagnosticinformation that may be present in the device's memory. Similarly, thedisplay device can request information from GAINs 2, 3, . . . n in asimilar manner, and display the information on a designated displayscreen. However, the display device 40 can access GAIN 1 to interrogateor poll GAINs 2-n and obtain their data as well. In this embodiment, thedisplay device 40 is hardwired into the system 10 at the data bus 30.This has the advantage of ensuring that the display device 40 is adaptedfor the particular system and can be selected to meet the particularneeds of the network. In one preferred embodiment, the display device 40may be a component of one of the GAINs itself. For example, many galleydevices already include a display, such as for example brewingequipment, ovens, and refrigerators. These displays can be used totransmit the requested service data of the device or other connecteddevices. Alternatively, the display device 40 can be a separate,dedicated display device 40 that is not part of any GAIN, but is apermanent member of the network.

FIG. 3 discloses an alternate embodiment to the system of FIG. 2, wherethe data display device 40 a is not hardwired into the system 50, butrather can connect to the system 50 at a data port 180 or other circuitentry point to read the system's information and display it to a user.The off-network display device 40 a offers the benefit of multiplepossible entry points, and can allow the system 50 to be smaller sincethe display device 40 a can be stored elsewhere when not in use. Thisprovides for a more compact configuration and can also provideflexibility as to the type of display device 40 a used. For example, thesystem may offer the opportunity to be read by a laptop computer or ahand-held display device such as a PDA, smartphone, or the like. Thedisplay device 40 a may plug into the system using a cable that connectsto a data port 180, and uses a software program or application to tapinto the network, and interrogate/retrieve the desired information fromone or more of the GAINs 20. The use of a hand-held display devicesimplifies the system's maintenance and lower's its weight whilereducing the overall costs of the system.

FIG. 4 illustrates yet a third embodiment of the invention, where thedisplay device 40 b communicates with the network using a wireless link75 across either a WiFi network, a bluetooth connection, a passiveinfrared coupling, or other type of wireless communication. In thiscase, the display device 40 b links wirelessly to one of the GAINs 20 ain the system 60, and extracts the desired information from the GAIN 20a in a wireless data exchange. The connected GAIN 20 a can in turnretrieve and provide information from other GAINs 20 across theconnected designated data bus 20. Alternatively, the GAINs 20 a, 20 canbe connected using a wireless connection 70, or a logical connection(not shown). The benefit of the wireless data acquisition is that awired connection is not necessary, allowing a technician to retrieve thesystem's 60 information without physically connecting directly into thesystem. Where accessibility is problematic in tight quarters such asaircraft galleys, a wireless connection 75 can prove to be a veryhelpful feature to those who need to retrieve the information quicklywithout disassembling or rearranging the galley equipment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a GAIN 20 that may be used with the presentinvention, and can represent a chiller, an oven, or any device on thenetwork. The GAIN 20 receives and sends information across the digitaldata bus 30, although data exchange as set forth above may take placeacross other types of connections, both physical and wireless. The databus 30 connects to a network interface 80 that is part of the GAIN,where data is sent back and forth between a microcontroller 100 thatmanages the GAIN's operation. The network interface 80 can be a wiredconnection, an ethernet connection, a CAN connection, a wirelessconnection, or the like. The microcontroller 100 interfaces with sensors110 that monitor the status of the GAIN, and can be current sensors,voltage sensors, temperature sensors, and other types of sensorsdepending upon the type of equipment.

The microcontroller 100 also communicates with actuators 120 thatperform certain functions of the GAIN, such as a hydraulic actuator fora trash compactor, a solenoid, or a heating element for a beveragebrewing apparatus. The microcontroller 100 can also manage and monitorthe electro-mechanical status 130 of the GAIN to determine suchcharacteristics as power usage, motor control, heating element control,and the like. Power 160 from a power feeder (not shown) is delivered tothe GAIN at a power interface 150, and the power is converted to usablepower by the GAIN at a power conversion circuit 140, which powers themicrocontroller 100 as well as the electro-mechanical actuators 130.

A user interface 90 that is accessible from the GAIN's exterior surfacecan be a touch screen, keyboard, pointing device, LED indicators,buttons, or the like that may be used to enter and request informationinto/from the system. Finally, a screen 170 is connected to the GAIN atthe user interface 90 and the microcontroller 100 for displayinginformation and/or data to the user. The data can be data for the GAINshown, or the data can be from another GAIN that is polled by themicrocontroller 100 across the bus 30 or other connection within thenetwork. Thus, in this manner any GAIN's information can be displayed ondisplay 170, even GAINs that are not wired physically to the network.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thespirit and scope of the invention. For example, although the foodstorage and food processing units described above have been described inthe context of aircraft usage, in other embodiments, food storage andfood processing units that include aspects of the present invention canbe used in other food storage and food processing contexts. Accordingly,the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

1. An adaptive aircraft galley network having a plurality of self-aware,system aware powered GAINs each storing data specific to its operationand capable of polling other GAINs in the network for data specific tothat GAIN's operation, the network comprising: a digital data busconnecting each powered GAIN in the network to each other powered GAINin the network; a data display device operatively connected to a poweredGAIN; and wherein the data display device can read and display the dataof the powered GAIN, and read and display the data of all other poweredGAINs in the network, where the display of the other powered GAINS inthe network does not rely on a galley network controller.
 2. Theadaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1, wherein the data displaydevice is a component of one of the powered GAINs in the network.
 3. Theadaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1, wherein the data displaydevice is operatively connected to a powered GAIN by hardwiring.
 4. Theadaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1, wherein the data displaydevice is operatively connected to a powered GAIN by connecting to adata port in the network that is not part of a powered GAIN, via acable.
 5. The adaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1, wherein thedata display device is operatively connected to a powered GAIN through awireless data connection.
 6. The adaptive aircraft galley network ofclaim 5, wherein the wireless connection between the data display deviceand a powered GAIN is a bluetooth connection.
 7. The adaptive aircraftgalley network of claim 5, wherein the wireless connection between thedata display device and a powered GAIN is across a local WiFi network.8. The adaptive aircraft galley network of claim 5, wherein the wirelessconnection between the data display device and a powered GAIN usespassive infrared signals.
 9. The adaptive aircraft galley network ofclaim 1, wherein the data display device is a hand-held unit.
 10. Theadaptive aircraft galley network of claim 9, wherein the data displaydevice is a smart phone.
 11. The adaptive aircraft galley network ofclaim 1, wherein the data display device is a laptop computer.
 12. Theadaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1, wherein said data specificto a GAIN's operation is selected from a group comprising maintenanceand fault data.
 13. The adaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1,wherein each powered GAIN recognizes all other powered GAINs connectedin the network.
 14. The adaptive aircraft galley network of claim 1,where there is no galley network controller in the network.
 15. Anadaptive aircraft galley network having a plurality of self-aware,system aware powered GAINs each storing data specific to its operationand capable of polling other GAINs in the network for data specific tothat GAIN's operation, the network comprising: a data exchanging networkconnecting each powered GAIN in the network to each other powered GAINin the network, where data is exchanged across a bus or across awireless data connection; a data display device operatively connected toa powered GAIN; and wherein the data display device can read and displaythe data of the powered GAIN, and read and display data of all otherpowered GAINs in the data exchange network, where the display of theother powered GAINS in the network does not rely on a galley networkcontroller.